Ex-President Lula treated like other inmates, police say

Rules regarding visits from lawyers and family members did not undergo

Published in 11/04/2018 - 18:10

By Pedro Peduzzi reports from Agência Brasil Brasília

Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva turned himself in to the police last saturday and is serving jail time at the Federal Police headquarters in Paraná state.Marcello Casal Jr./Agência Brasil

In a note issued this Wednesday (Apr. 11), the Federal Police said that former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, currently serving jail time at the Federal Police headquarters in Paraná state, has not been given “any benefits that do not apply to other inmates under custody at the police unit.”

The statement comes as a response to allegations that Lula was receiving better treatment than other prisoners.

Rules regarding visits from lawyers and family members did not undergo any changes to benefit the former leader, said law enforcement authorities. Also, the note goes on, the former president has no contact with “any person or public official, except for those involved in preserving his safety.”

“All procedures conducted in connection with the onetime president are those applied to other inmates, except when specifically authorized by the 12th Federal Court of Curitiba [where Judge Sérgio Moro serves], in charge of the proceedings for the execution of the sentence,” the text reads.

At the request of Judge Sérgio Moro, Lula is being held in a separate cell, with a TV set at his disposal.

Transfer

Earlier on, in a note published on the press, the Police Commissioners’ Trade Union of Paraná State announced it had submitted a request to police asking for the prompt transfer of Lula to a facility somewhere else on account of the “invasion” by “hundreds of people linked to social movements and other factions” in the surrounding area.

The union claims that the hustle and bustle has disturbed the lives of locals and hindered the work of the police.